History and development of the Mitsubishi Starion and Chrysler Conquest 1982 to 1989

In the beginning:Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the parent company to Mitsubishi Motors is one of the worlds largest corporations, dating back prior to 1937. Mitsubishi Motors Division is ranked among the 10 largest automobile manufacturers in the world. As a side note, Mitsubishi is also the only automotive manufacturer in the world that builds their own turbochargers! In 1972, Chrysler Corporation purchased a minor percentage of Mitsubishi Motors stock that gained them a seat on the board of directors. This opened up Chryslers ability to introduce a variety of low cost, fuel efficient cars toting the Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge banner. We saw many cars, such as the Champ, Colt, Arrow, Challenger, Sapporo, mini trucks roll off Chrysler's lots and home in the hands of happy consumers. Many of Chryslers US built cars shared Mitsubishi power plants (i.e. LeBaron, Dodge 400, Reliant, and Aries.) It was to no-ones surprise when they announced their intended entry to the US automotive market in 1983. Having gained knowledge of what the US consumers wanted through their partnership with Chrysler Corporation, the car manufacture stood ready to strike out on their own. To introduce themselves in October of 1982, a modest line-up of models prove sufficient. These were the Cordia, Tredia, Montero, 2WD and 4WD trucks, and of course, their Flagship, the Starion. The Starion was to be designed and built to go head to head with other Japanese sports coupes that were now enjoying an exclusive niche in the US market. These were the Datsun 280ZX, powered by an in-line-6, and the Toyota Celica Supra, also with an in-line 6. Needless to say, Mitsubishi's quick little 4 cylinder turbo sent Datsun and Toyota scrambling back to the design departments for turbos of their very own! Chrysler also released the Starion under their own banner in 1984, displaying the name "Conquest", and they played a major role in refining the cars capabilities and appearance. With joint cooperation between the two industry leaders, we saw the Star/Quest grow and mature through its 7½ ~year production life. while other manufacturers were redesigning their whole car, in an attempt to stay ahead. The Star/Quest, however, simply got better, proving an already excellent design. General Information:

NOTE: Production changes with dates, have been identified by part number changes. This section is not intended to infringe on any publication rights, but to provide information to fellow enthusiasts of the Conquest and Starion